Signal flare magazine and caster



June 3947 J. A. GEARON ET AL. 2,421,491

SIGNAL FLARE MAGAZINE AND CASTEEi Filed Dec. 26, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l zizdefloms. k on 4.6667072 6 2d.

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ja s nzvqs. LYQ/Z 245667020 Patented June 3, 1947 orFicE SIGNAL FLARE MAGAZINE AND CASTER .lehn A. Gearon and Edward Gearon, Chicago, Ill.

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to a magazine for storing and releasing signal flares.

Among the objects of our invention is to provide a device for storing a quantity of flares arranged in suitable position so that they may be protected from the elements, and where they are needed for warning purposes that they may be quickly ignited and presented to view outside the container at the bottom thereof. If found necessary to continue the warnings, it is possible to repeat the operation until all the flares are used. If the nature of the danger requires the dropping or" the flares at intervals of travel, the same may be accomplished by the means provided.

Another important feature of this device is to provide means for casting or pressing a flare onto a railway rail or onto a public highway from transportation vehicles, such as railway cars or locomotives or motor engines, or from automobiles, buses or trucks, while such vehicles are moving at any rate of speed.

Our invention also contemplates such other objects, advantages and capabilitiesas will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by our invention.

While we have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred form of our invention, yet we wish it understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of our flare'rnagazine; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same; Fig, 3 is a top plan view with a portion broken away to show motor mechanism; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed sectional view on line 5-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevational view of our rack assembly and tubes; Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 5;" Fig. '7 is a detailed sectional view on line l-l of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 1 partly broken away to show the rack in operation; Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the operating mechanism with wiring diagram; Fig. 10 is a detailed view showing our device attached to the rear truck of a railroad car; Fig. 11 is a detailed sectional view of railroad wheel and track showing our flare being held to rail, after being cast thereon; and Fig. 12 is a detailed view showing our device attached to the rear bumper of an automobile.

The embodiment selected to illustrate our invention comprises a housing in having closed top, front and sides. Within our housing are front and rear compartments H and I2 respectively. Movably positioned within front compartment I l is rack [3 having a plurality of vertically spaced shelves Hito receive the body portions l5 of flares [5. Attached to the rear wall 21 of rack l3 are a plurality of spaced tubes or barrels l3 projecting forwardly on a line with the center of the shelves l4 so as to receive the holiow handles IQ of flares i6. Rear wall 11 has a plurality of inwardly bent portions 39 to receive and hold a cartridge 46.

The rear wall ll of rack I3 has a plurality of vertically spaced pairs. of parallel openings 25], each pair adapted to receive teeth 2| of a pair of parallel gears 22 housed within rear compartment 52. Gears 22 are operated through gear reduction 23 by motor 25 which is supported by straps 25 attached by cars 26 to the rear wall 2'! of rear compartment l2.

Adjacent the rear of shelves it is a vertically extending plate 28 having in its opposite side edges a plurality of notches 29; these notches 29 are adapted to removably receive fingers 36 of detents 3! which are attached to the side walls 32 of compartment ii. Detents 3! each have a housing 33 within which is positioned a spring 35 adapted to normally hold finger 30 in extended position. Each of fingers 3!] has a head 35 extending beyond the housing 33 for manual operation.

Attached to the front wall 36 of compartment ll adjacent its bottom portion is a housing 3'! containing an igniting element 38 preferably in the form of a coil.

Our construction is adapted to use a flare 5 which is the subject matter of our co-pending application for patent, Serial No. 568,152, filed December 14, 1944.. Said flare l6 has a fire-proofed folded body portion K5 With a flare load of ignitable illuminating material on the inside of the folded body portion l5 and an integral hollow handle I9 and openings 50 in the front of the body portion leading to the flare load.

In use, the operator presses button M to motor 25, thereby operating gears 22 and moving rack 53 downwardly a notch. Fingers 30 of detents 3! fit within notches 29 and hold the flare IE on the low shelf on a line with igniting element 38. The igniting element 38 contacts the flare load in the flare through the front openings 50 provided in the flare and ignites the load.

The operator then presses button 43 thereby closing circuit 45 and operating solenoid 45 to fire the cartridge 46 at the rear of the flare. This operates to project the flare outward from our device.

Spring switch 46 in the motor circuit operates to break the circuit and prevent the operation beyond the desired cycle.

It will be noted that there is an opening 49 in the bottom of compartment II to permit the lowering of the rack therethrough. Each shelf acts as a closure for the opening 49 as it descends.

Our device may be attached to a vehicle by lugs 41 and pins 48 as shown in Figs. and 12. In Fig. 10 We provide a chute 55 to direct the ignited flare to a railroad track, where it can be pressed on the rail as shown in Fig. 11.

Whenever it is desired to remove the flare manually from its tube 18, button 63 need not be pressed to set circuit 44 in operation to fire cartridge 40.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A signal flare device comprising a housing having front and rear compartments, said front,

compartment having an opening in its bottom portion, a rack movable within said front compartment, said rack having a back and a plurality of vertically spaced shelves, a plurality of spaced barrels attached to said back, a plurality of flares, each of said flares having a folded body portion, a flare load of ignitible illuminating material attached to said body portion, and an integral hollow handle, said body portion having an opening leading to said flare load, said shelves receiving the body portions of the flares, and said barrels receiving the hollow handles of the flares, the back of said rack having a plurality of spaced openings, a .pair of gears driven b a motor positioned within said rear compartment, said gears having teeth engaging said openings and move said rack downwardly through the opening in the bottom portion of said front compartment and means attached to said front compartment at its bottom portion for contacting the flare load of the lowermost flare through the opening in the body portion thereof for igniting the flare.

2. A signal flare device comprising a housing having front and rear compartments, said front compartment having an opening in its bottom portion, a rack movable within said front compartment, said'rack having a back and a plurality of vertically spaced shelves, a plurality of spaced barrels attached'to said back, a plurality of flares, each of said flares having a folded body portion, a flare load of ignitible illuminating material attached to said body portion, and an integral hollow handle, said body portion having an opening leading to said flare load, said shelves receiving the body portions of flares, and said barrels receiving the hollow handles of the flares, the back of said rack having a plurality of spaced openings, a pair of gears driven by a motor positioned within said rear compartment, said gears having teeth engaging said openings and move said rack downwardly through the openin in the bottom portion of said front compartment, a plate having a plurality of notches in its outer edges, a pair of spring detents attached to said front compartment and adapted to removably engage said notches and means attached to said front compartment at its bottom portion for contacting the flare load of the lowermost flare through the opening in the bod portion thereof for igniting. the flare.

3. A signal flare device comprising a housing having front and rear compartments, said front compartments having an opening in its bottom portion, a rack movable within said front compartments, said rack having a back and a plurality of vertically spaced shelves, a plurality of spaced barrels attached to said back, a plurality of'flares, each of said flares having a folded body portion, a flare load of ignitible illuminating material attached to said body portion, and an integral hollow handle, said body portion having an opening leading to said flare load, said shelves receiving the body portions of flares, and said barrels receiving the hollow handles of the flares, the back of said rack having a plurality of cartridges spaced within the hollow handles of the flares, the back of the rack also having a plurality of spaced openings, a pair of gears driven by a motor positioned within said rear compartment, said gears having teeth engaging said openings and move said rack downwardly through the opening in the bottom portion of said front compartment, and means attached to said front compartment at its bottom portion for contacting the flare load of the lowermost flare through the opening in the body portion thereof for igniting the flare, and means for firing the cartridges so that the ignited flares are projected from the device.

JOHN A. GEARON. EDWARD GEARON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS (7th addition to No. 492,504) 

